Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

Kidneys, Heart, Lungs or Thyroid?

I have been experiencing the below symptoms off and on for about 6 months with increasing frequency, but not not consistently every day. No one can seem to figure out what the issue is, but my quality of life is becoming severly impacted. Any ideas regarding what kinds of tests I should have next are greatly appreciated.1. Edema - swelling of both legs (feet, ankles, calves), occasionally hands and face; suspect also have fluid retention in my chest - see next symptom2. Shortness of breath, infrequent cough; feeling of pressure on left side of my chest3. Lump or swelling, not externally visible, left side of my neck (ultrasound indicates that thyroid is not enlarged)4. EXTREME fatigue5. Headaches, get worse in the afternoon/eveningItems of note - blood test for thyroid function appears normal or slightly out of normal range; blood pressure is normally fairly low, still in the normal range but has gone up in the last 2 months, most recent blood test indicated "low protein" (sorry, don't have a more specific explanation at the moment); original visits to my Dr. were for hair loss and a lump in my throat, but the edema and shortness of breath have taken over as my main areas of concern.I appreciate any insight!

5 Replies:

You really need to see an endocrinologist! That sounds like you could be having any number of endocrine problems, especially if your thyroid appears normal. Make sure they do a very, very thorough spectrum of tests, including a full liver panel and possibly an ACTH stimulation test. You should probably also have an echo done of your liver, as many liver problems can cause those sort of symptoms. Also, if they can visualize your adrenal gland that might be helpful too.Also, yes, your heart could certainly be involved, so it wouldn't hurt to see a cardiologist. But given certain symptoms you mentioned, especially the hair loss, I really think it's far more likely to be an endocrine problem. Heart problems can cause swelling, but hair loss isn't too common a side effect of cardiac issues, at least as far as I know. Good luck!

OK, I did see an endocronologist, but everyone is still clueless and now I a being referred to an rheumatologist. Does that sound reasonable? Here are some blood work results- not enough to cause anyone an "AHA!". Since I am pretty clueless on what most of these mean, let me know if there are others you are interested in (I have a whole page of results . . .) - WBC - 5.7RBC - 4.40HGB - 13HCT - 39.3Platelet count - 378Lymphocytes - 40.6Chloride - 107Alkaline phos - 43Total Protein - 6.3Albumin - 3.8Globulin - 2.5A/G Ratio - 1.5Free T4 - 1.52Microsomal AB - Thyroglobulin AB - 50THS, 3rd gen - 1.26 FYI - norm blood pressure for last 5-10 years is ~ 90/60; last check today was up to 120/80 . . .still normal but going higher with each visit. I now have some kind of infection in my chest throat; strep test negative, Dr. is assuming it is viral; swollen lymph nodes, sore throat cough w/ mucus, continued extreme fatigue, low-grade fever . . .could all be randomly unrelated, but feeling sooo ill.

OK, I did see an endocronologist, but everyone is still clueless and now I a being referred to an rheumatologist. Does that sound reasonable? Yes, it's very reasonable to see a rheumatologist! There are several rheumatological conditions that could be causing your symptoms, so it's good to see them, have them run some tests, and see if maybe they can either explain your symptoms, or rule out other possibilities to get you closer to a diagnosis.Good luck!

I now have some kind of infection in my chest throat; strep test negative, Dr. is assuming it is viral; swollen lymph nodes, sore throat cough w/ mucus, continued extreme fatigue, low-grade fever . . .could all be randomly unrelated, but feeling sooo ill. Those new symptoms going along with most of your others, IF they are related and IF they keep reoccuring, could be indictive of something like chronic fatigue immunity dysfunction syndrome CFIDS (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome). I'll putting down the following website just in case you get more symptoms and IF those new symptoms you now have, keep reoccuring along with others.. in that case.. check it out (dont currently thou bother with this.. see my note below).. http://wwcoco.com/cfids/bernesx.html Thou you do have many symptoms of it, I currently dont think you have you have this illness thou as your BP going up, makes it far less likely it's something like that. (BP going up only happens in 2% of CFIDS patients, so isnt common.. nearly all of them have it drop with the condition.. in my own case thou, im one of the rarer ones who's BP has been made unstable and it hence does go up with the condition). Anyway.. just thought this may be worth a mention just in case esp. with the new symptoms you have. ................................. I agree with the other poster here.. your symptoms indicate more going on than just your heart, so it's probably less likely to be that.